Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation

The paper examines tensions between liberalism and neoliberalism in the European Union’s (EU) discourse and response to the Rule of Law crisis. Using qualitative content analysis and network representation, we identify what we define as “semantic inversion”, whereby neoliberal actions are justified...

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Main Authors: Edoardo Maria Landoni, Iacopo Taddia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Milano University Press 2025-06-01
Series:Nuovi autoritarismi e democrazie: diritto, istituzioni, società
Subjects:
Online Access:https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/NAD/article/view/28816
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author Edoardo Maria Landoni
Iacopo Taddia
author_facet Edoardo Maria Landoni
Iacopo Taddia
author_sort Edoardo Maria Landoni
collection DOAJ
description The paper examines tensions between liberalism and neoliberalism in the European Union’s (EU) discourse and response to the Rule of Law crisis. Using qualitative content analysis and network representation, we identify what we define as “semantic inversion”, whereby neoliberal actions are justified with liberal democratic rhetoric. Consequently, by retracing and analyzing the legislative bargaining behind the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation, we define the trajectory of the conditionality mechanism in the inter-institutional bargaining, identifying several crucial fractures that have reshaped its scope and ambition, showing a significant misalignment between the various actors involved, which seems to be the basis of the observed misalignment in the EU public discourse.
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series Nuovi autoritarismi e democrazie: diritto, istituzioni, società
spelling doaj-art-3f017e164ad14ea9b1b07a279b4de6fa2025-08-20T02:20:52ZengMilano University PressNuovi autoritarismi e democrazie: diritto, istituzioni, società2612-66722025-06-017110.54103/2612-6672/28816Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality RegulationEdoardo Maria Landoni0https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1145-1751Iacopo Taddia1https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6510-507XNASP (University of Pavia and University of Milan)NASP (University of Milan) The paper examines tensions between liberalism and neoliberalism in the European Union’s (EU) discourse and response to the Rule of Law crisis. Using qualitative content analysis and network representation, we identify what we define as “semantic inversion”, whereby neoliberal actions are justified with liberal democratic rhetoric. Consequently, by retracing and analyzing the legislative bargaining behind the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation, we define the trajectory of the conditionality mechanism in the inter-institutional bargaining, identifying several crucial fractures that have reshaped its scope and ambition, showing a significant misalignment between the various actors involved, which seems to be the basis of the observed misalignment in the EU public discourse. https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/NAD/article/view/28816Liberalism and NeoliberalismSemantic InversionRule of LawEuropean Union
spellingShingle Edoardo Maria Landoni
Iacopo Taddia
Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
Nuovi autoritarismi e democrazie: diritto, istituzioni, società
Liberalism and Neoliberalism
Semantic Inversion
Rule of Law
European Union
title Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
title_full Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
title_fullStr Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
title_full_unstemmed Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
title_short Neoliberalism as a Deconstruction of Liberalism in the EU: The Use of Semantic Inversion in the Rule of Law Conditionality Regulation
title_sort neoliberalism as a deconstruction of liberalism in the eu the use of semantic inversion in the rule of law conditionality regulation
topic Liberalism and Neoliberalism
Semantic Inversion
Rule of Law
European Union
url https://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/NAD/article/view/28816
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